Radiation Poisoning?
by daveryship
Summary: Coda for 7x25. I mean, cliff hanger much? What a little nuclear to drop on somebody right? This is my take on what happened after that little conversation outside the bathroom door.


**Hey guys. This is a one shot. A Coda for 7x25. It just left me hanging and as much as i like writing cliff hangers, i hate being left on one. So here's what i thought happened after that little conversation outside the bathroom door.**

 **I hope you like and review.**

 **Radiation poisoning?**

 _I've been having these spells. It's nothing Danny. Make me a drink._

 _Radiation poisoning_

 _Long term side effects_

 _I am fine Danny_

 _Radiation poisoning_

 _Poisoning Poison poison poison_

He turned and punched the pillow, trying to get some sleep.

 _Poisoning Poisoning poison._

He turned again and adjusted the pillow again, sighed and tried to get some sleep.

 _Poison poison dead dead dead!_

 _Radiation poisoning. Dead!_

He got up, heaving. No way he's gonna get any sleep tonight. Not with all this. He sat on his bed for a moment, thinking. He got up, went to check on Charlie. He was sound asleep in his race car bed. No doubt having sweet dreams. He smiled looking at his son.

He went back to bed and tried to sleep.

 _Radiation poisoning. Poisoning_

 _Radiation poisoning poison poison poison dead dead dead._

It was like an unrelenting mantra.

He flung his covers off and sat with his feet on the side of the bed.

He sighed again.

 _Poisoning poisoning poisoning._

It was not gonna stop.

He took his laptop and opened it.

"Ok, radiation poisoning." He muttered under his breath as he typed it in.

Radiation poisoning, radiation sickness, radiation toxicity and on and on and on, he had no idea where to start. There was just too much of it and he just had no idea where to start.

He sighed in exasperation and picked up his phone and made the call.

...

He heard this phone from far away, he was so deep in sleep. These days he's been sleeping like the dead, one of the symptoms for sure. Because he could barely hear his phone ring. He was just a little too tired maybe; it had been a busy and stressful day.

He turned reluctantly and picked up the phone.

"McGarrett." He didn't even look at the caller ID to see who was calling him at this hour. He could barely open his eyes. He waited sleepily for the voice on the other end for identification.

"I need you to tell me what the doctor said Steve, word for word."

"Danny?"

"No, actually it's the President of the United States Steven."

"Danno what are you...?" He looked at the time and it was way after 2am. "Danny are you ok?"

"I am fantastic; I just like to not be able to sleep because some Neanderthal dropped a bomb on me and then decided to play nonchalant about it. I am great Steven."

"Danny..." Steve said, confused and now a little concerned. "Buddy what are you talking about...?"

"Really Steve?"

"Look I told you it was nothing..."

"I know what you said. Now I want to know exactly what the doctor said."

"Well uh...I told you what he said..."

"Not your watered down version, I want the truth Steve. Like, what did he say the symptoms were, how long do you have...?"

"How long do I have? Danny this is not like a terminal disease or ..."

"Actually it is. I am staring at my computer right now and...yeah, Steve, it is. So how long did he say you had? How much of the poison did he say you had? What did the results show?"

Steve sat up; he didn't know which question to tackle first. He didn't know how. He shouldn't have told Danny. Or maybe he should have told him sooner. And now he couldn't sleep because of it? He had thought he had played it down well.

"Do you want me to come over there?"

"No Steven I don't want you to come here, I just want you to tell me what the doctor said. All of it."

"Phew, well , he said...that I ...uh, got affected and that the side effects will start to show um...if they haven't already...you know...the spells I've been having. It's nothing to worry about Danny. I told you, he said that the real effects will start to show like years from now buddy. Right now I'm fine."

"You're sure about that? I don't know, maybe the spells you've been having should clue you in a little better."

Steve just sighed.

"What kind of spells have you been having anyway?"

Steve heard the sound of typing in the background. "Are you Googling it?" he asked, a little amused.

"Yeah, Steve. I am Googling it. It's all I can do since you won't tell me straight what's going on with you. I have to find out from Captain Google."

"Alright, it's just the usual spells of dizziness, you know. And a little sickness here and there."

"There's nothing 'usual' about it Steve, especially when you choose to jump on top of moving trucks when you're in this condition. Don't say anything. Just go back to sleep I'll see you in the morning."

And the line went dead.

He tried to go back to sleep

 _Sickness, dizziness dizziness poisoning._

 _"The side effects are starting to show Commander McGarrett. I am more that 100% that there is surely going to be some long term side effects. They could be terminal. They could be fatal."_ He heard his doctor say.

He turned and punched his pillow, tried again to summon sleep.

 _Poisoning. Dead dead. Fatal ,terminal. Terminal. Chronic. Very soon._

Crap! He was not going back to sleep anymore. It was over.

...

 _It is distinct from acute radiation syndrome in that it occurs at dose rates low enough to permit natural repair mechanisms to compete with the radiation damage during the exposure period. Dose rates high enough to cause the acute form are fatal long before onset of the chronic form._

He narrowed his eyes as he read on.

They had gone to wrap up their case and tie up some loose ends, there had been no time to revisit their earlier conversation. But it never left him. The things he'd read on the internet. Things he was still reading.

The minor symptoms were headaches, muscle pain, sore throat etcetera. And then it went on to describe the advanced stages. The horror. Impaired liver, Cancer, blindness, cognitive impairment and some medical jargon he could not even pronounce. Then death. He could die. Steve could die.

And if Kono had not called in and said she was on the mainland he'd be worried about that too. One less thing to worry about. She was safe and she will be coming back soon. He took a sigh of relief.

"Hey."

Danny looked up with a start from his computer to see Steve standing leaning on his office door.

"Hey" he said back, looking him over.

"Don't look at me like that I am not gonna start bleeding from my eyes yet." Steve said jokingly

"Well it's a good thing you can still joke about it Steven."

"I can joke about it Danny because it's not gonna happen. The internet will tell you all sorts of horrors; you think I haven't been there myself? I am telling you, just stop with all that research. It's only gonna make you sad."

"Well I am already sad. I am a sad person. You always say that."

Steve walked in and sat in the chair opposite him. He looked at him for a moment and sighed. "You don't wanna do that Danny. You worrying yourself sleepless about it is not gonna change anything."

"Well the least I can do is lose sleep over it Steve. You're getting the shorter end of then stick here."

"What do you mean" Steve asked suspiciously.

"I mean that you are getting this and I am going on all healthy and free because I left you there alone."

"What? Danny..."

"It's true Steve. I left you there to handle the bomb alone and now...now..."

Steve snorted in derision. "You my friend are...it's a gift." He said with a dramatic show of his hands. "I swear to God you have a gift Danny. Are you seriously blaming yourself for this right now? What, you wanted us to both get radiation poisoning? Danny it had to be one of us and..."

"And there's no rule that says you're the one who's supposed to..."

"I chose to Danny. OK? I am a control freak and one of us had to do it and I am a control freak."Steve said with a shrug.

"Well it wasn't right. It's not right."

"Danny you're not seriously beating yourself up over this are you? I'd rather it be me than you anytime buddy. You have kids and I..."

"Stop stop alright. Ok, my life is not any more important than yours just because I have kids. I have kids. I have known the love of my kids for all these years. You on the other hand haven't even started yet. You haven't..."

"This is depressing, this is too depressing. Tell you what; we'll go to my doctor together tomorrow, you and me. Ok? There is a high possibility of treatment but I'd rather he explain everything to you in person. I am hoping that will be a way for you to let this go. Now, why don't you close Google for today and come out and play." Steve said with a smirk.

"Play? It's the middle of the day Steven and we're supposed to be working. What will the Governor say?"

"We don't have a case. There's nothing else to do than get depressed over this so let's go out and play some."

"What do you have in mind?" Danny asked, closing the lid on his computer.

"Well how about a few beers?"

"Again middle of the day. Something else."

"Ok uh... the ocean? Swim?"

"Surf."

"Surf huh?" Steve said with a raised eyebrow. "Ok then surf buddy, let's go catch some waves." Steve said already leading the way out of the office

Danny followed, surfing will be good. Something about the waves made him leave everything else behind and focus on the wave. It was like flying. He needed that right now.

"I have the coolest boss in the world." He said jokingly to Steve. "Who else would suggest a day of playing on a work day?"

"Partner. The coolest partner in the world Danno."

"You got that right."


End file.
